On Monday I took the day off from work and spent the entire day with my kids. We went swimming in a neighbors backyard pool, we ate lunch at Taco Bell, I sprayed them with the water hose in the backyard, I watched them ride bikes up and down the street, we picked up a few groceries for dinner, and I taught them how to cut their own steaks at dinner. It was a great day, and a day much different than I ever had before kids.
If you’ve not taken the time to listen to Andrew Peterson, let me be the first person to highly recommend him!
Our family is a movie watching family. We regularly watch movies together as a family night activity, all gathered on the couch. We always talk about them when they are over, and sharing the movie watching experience with my kids is one of my favorite family-time activities. I’m that sappy Dad that cries in the opening scene of UP!, and got some dust in my eye watching the final scene of Toy Story 3. I love movies!
One of the fun things Starr and I have done is share the favorite movies of our childhood with our kids. We’ve watched Swiss Family Robinson, a censored-version of the original Karate Kid, and tried unsuccessfully to introduce Star Wars (they like the fight scenes, but can’t get into it.)
So recently CinemaBlend.com listed the 20 Must See Movies to Share with Your Kids. Their list is exhaustive, and includes some great hits from my generation and past, as well as some not-yet-released to DVD movies.
So after looking at their list, what would you add?
Every Friday we have what we call “Daddy Day” in our house. It’s the one day of the week, that their mother is off to work; and the one day of the week that Daddy is home all alone with the kids. We fill it with trips to the library, wrestling matches, episodes of SpongeBob Squarepants, and PB&J sandwhiches. The summer months are particularly fun, because I have all three kids the entire time. During the school year, it’s just my daughter and I; which is its own brand of awesomeness!
I’ve been a parent going on 8 years, and one of the most tragic things I’ve experienced is the speed with which the world now moves. With kids, life becomes a blur that you cannot help slow down. That’s just the way it is, and I’ve learned to stop and just take in what I have now. I’ve been quite proud of myself for taking time to just watch my kids jump on a trampoline, or listen to them slowly read through story books out loud, or laugh with them while playing Mario Cart on the Wii. It’s not a natural thing to just enjoy the ordinary days, it takes a deliberate move to put yourself in a frame of mind to work at remembering. We tend to build our memories around the “big events,” but it’s the ordinary days that hold the most power. It’s the ordinary days that I cherish so much.
Last week I saw this video over at www.strategicdads.com and it resonated with me in so many ways. Yes, it really is over 7 minutes long, and it is written from a Mother’s perspective…but it’s worth the time.
A special Memorial Day thank you to my two grandfathers who served in the Air Force for our country. Thanks to Douglas Eckhardt and John Cliff, two heroes worth remembering!
Douglas Eckhardt, Master Sergeant, United States Air Force, Korean War & Vietnam War Veteran
John Cliff, Lt. Colonel, United States Air Force, WWII & Korean War Veteran
